THE names of schoolchildren from Portbury have been added to new roof tiles expected to remain on the village church for more than 150 years.

A mammoth project is currently being carried out to replace the roof on St Mary the Virgin Church in Church Road, which is Grade I-listed.

Work on the scheme started in November and recently pupils at St Mary’s Primary School had the chance to sign their names and the date on some of the new tiles, which are expected to remain on the church for at least 150 years.

The project, which involves having to use stone tiles which match the existing ones, is expected to take six months to complete, with the 11th century building remaining open throughout. It is then hoped it can be used by many future generations.

An £81,700 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund has covered about half of the costs, about a third has been paid for by The Church Commissioners with the rest collected by the congregation.

Throughout February visitors to the church on a Sunday had the chance to listen to a talk and also view photos and a display explaining the background behind the roof project.